INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS

IM-2-400-US December 2017

Inverted Bucket Steam Traps

Safety Information
Safe operation of these products can only be guaranteed if 1.6 The system
they are properly installed, commissioned, used and maintained Consider the effect on the complete system of the work
by qualified personnel (see Section 1.11) in compliance with proposed. Will any proposed action (e.g. closing isolation
the operating instructions. General installation and safety valves, electrical isolation) put any other part of the system or
instructions for pipeline and plant construction, as well as the any personnel at risk?
proper use of tools and safety equipment must also be complied Dangers might include isolation of vents or protective devices
with. or the rendering ineffective of controls or alarms. Ensure
isolation valves are turned on and off in a gradual way to avoid
1.1 Intended use system shocks.
Referring to the Installation and Maintenance Instructions,
name-plate and Technical Information Sheet, check that the 1.7 Pressure systems
product is suitable for the intended use / application. Ensure that any pressure is isolated and safely vented to
atmospheric pressure. Consider double isolation (double block
i) The products have been specifically designed for use on and bleed) and the locking or labelling of closed valves. Do not
steam, air or water/condensate. The products’ use on other assume that the system has depressurised even when the
fluids may be possible but, if this is contemplated, Spirax pressure gauge indicates zero.
Sarco should be contacted to confirm the suitability of the
product for the application being considered. 1.8 Temperature
Allow time for temperature to normalise after isolation to avoid
ii) Check material suitability, pressure and temperature and danger of burns.
their maximum and minimum values. If the maximum
operating limits of the product are lower than those of the 1.9 Tools and consumables
system in which it is being fitted, or if malfunction of the Before starting work ensure that you have suitable tools and / or
product could result in a dangerous overpressure or consumables available. Use only genuine Spirax Sarco
overtemperature occurrence, ensure a safety device is replacement parts.
included in the system to prevent such over-limit situations.
1.10 Protective clothing
iii) Determine the correct installation situation and direction Consider whether you and / or others in the vicinity require any
of fluid flow. protective clothing to protect against the hazards of, for example,
chemicals, high / low temperature, radiation, noise, falling
iv) Spirax Sarco products are not intended to withstand external objects, and dangers to eyes and face.
stresses that may be induced by any system to which they
are fitted. It is the responsibility of the installer to consider 1.11 Permits to work
these stresses and take adequate precautions to minimise All work must be carried out or be supervised by a suitably
them. competent person. Installation and operating personnel should
be trained in the correct use of the product according to the
v) Remove protection covers from all connections and Installation and Maintenance Instructions.
protective film from all name-plates, where appropriate,
before installation on steam or other high temperature Where a formal ‘permit to work’ system is in force it must be
applications. complied with. Where there is no such system, it is recommended
that a responsible person should know what work is going on
1.2 Access and, where necessary, arrange to have an assistant whose
Ensure safe access and if necessary a safe working platform primary responsibility is safety.
(suitably guarded) before attempting to work on the product.
Arrange suitable lifting gear if required. Post ‘warning notices’ if necessary.
1.3 Lighting 1.12 Handling
Ensure adequate lighting, particularly where detailed or intricate Manual handling of large and/or heavy products may present
work is required. a risk of injury. Lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying or supporting
a load by bodily force can cause injury particularly to the back.
1.4 Hazardous liquids or gases in the pipeline You are advised to assess the risks taking into account the
Consider what is in the pipeline or what may have been in the task, the individual, the load and the working environment and
pipeline at some previous time. Consider: flammable materials, use the appropriate handling method depending on the
substances hazardous to health, extremes of temperature. circumstances of the work being done.
1.5 Hazardous environment around the product
Consider: explosion risk areas, lack of oxygen (e.g. tanks, pits),
dangerous gases, extremes of temperature, hot surfaces, fire
hazard (e.g. during welding), excessive noise, moving
machinery.
1.13 Residual hazards Steam Mains - Do's and Dont's:
In normal use the external surface of the product
may be very hot. If used at the maximum
permitted operating conditions the surface
temperature of some products may reach
temperatures in excess of 300°C (572°F).
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Many products are not self-draining. Take due
care when dismantling or removing the product
from an installation (refer to 'Maintenance
instructions').

1.14 Freezing
Provision must be made to protect products
which are not self-draining against frost
damage in environments where they may be
Steam
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exposed to temperatures below freezing point.

1.15 Disposal
Unless otherwise stated in the Installation
and Maintenance Instructions, this product
is recyclable and no ecological hazard is
anticipated with its disposal providing due
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care is taken.

1.16 Returning products

Customers and stockists are reminded that
under EC Health, Safety and Environment Law,
when returning products to Spirax Sarco they
must provide information on any hazards and
the precautions to be taken due to contamination
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residues or mechanical damage which may
present a health, safety or environmental risk.
This information must be provided in writing
including Health and Safety data sheets relating
to any substances identified as hazardous or
potentially hazardous.

1.17 Working safely with cast iron

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products on steam
Cast iron products are commonly found on
steam and condensate systems. If installed
correctly using good steam engineering
practices, it is perfectly safe. However, because Prevention of tensile stressing
of its mechanical properties, it is less forgiving Pipe misalignment:
compared to other materials such as SG iron or
carbon steel. The following are the good
engineering practices required to prevent Installing products or re-assembling after maintenance:
waterhammer and ensure safe working
conditions on a steam system.
7 1
1 3
Safe Handling
3 5
Cast Iron is a brittle
material. If the product
is dropped during
installation and there 6 4
is any risk of damage
4 2
the product should 2 8
not be used unless it

7
is fully inspected and
pressure tested by the Do not over tighten. Flange bolts should be gradually tightened across
manufacturer. Use correct torque figures. diameters to ensure even load and alignment.

Prevention of water hammer

Steam trapping on steam mains:
30 - 50 metre intervals
Gradient
Gradient 1:100 Steam
1:100
Trap set
Steam Trap set
Trap set
Condensate
Condensate
Condensate

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Thermal expansion: Guides

Small
lateral
Limit rods movement Large
Guides lateral
movement

Axial movement Medium Fixing point

distance
Short
distance Fixing point
Large
lateral
Axial movement Limit rods Small movement
lateral
movement
Guides Guides

Installation
1.) Before installing trap, the inlet piping should be care- 9.) When installed outdoors, trap will not freeze in con-
fully blown down to remove any existing pipe debris. tinuous operation but can be damaged if steam pres-
 CAUTION: Before Installation, inspection or mainte- sure is lost or inadvertently turned off. To prevent
nance, ensure that the steam inlet and outlet piping freezeup damage, the body must be drained manually
valves are closed and the trap isolated to prevent per- or can be protected automatically with a Spirax Sarco
sonnel injury. Thermoton set for 75°F opening temperature.
2.) Check the maximum operating pressure stamped on
the nameplate. If the actual system operating pres- Inspection and Maintenance
sure is greater than the maximum operating pressure Spirax Sarco Inverted Bucket Traps for horizontal piping
of the trap, a trap having a higher operating pressure may be inspected and cleaned without removing the trap
must be substituted. from the line. Vertical threaded body types require a union
3.) Depending upon the type, trap body pattern will after the outlet to permit disassembly.
require either horizontal or vertical piping. Install trap 1.)  Flash steam - When condensate at steam tempera-
with bottom and/or arrow cast on trap pointing down- ture is discharged to a lower pressure, part of it re-
ward so that the inverted bucket can freely move in a evaporates, forming flash steam. This should not be
vertical plane. confused with live steam when inspecting the opera-
4.) Locate the trap below and close to the drain point tion of steam traps.
where it is accessible for inspection and servic- 2.)  To clean or inspect the trap inlet port - Remove
ing. A pipeline strainer should be fitted ahead of the any obstruction or debris from the inlet cavity. If the
trap along with isolation valves and pipe unions as trap is fitted with a strainer, make sure the screen
required by good piping practices. perforations are clear and unobstructed.
5. To prevent backflow, a check valve is recommended 3.) To clean, inspect or replace the trap mechanism
after the trap when condensate is elevated. With a a.) Remove the cover bolts and cover.
modulating pressure condition, or on superheated b.) Remove all dirt and incrustation from the mech-
steam service, a check valve should also be located anism, trap body and cover. Inspect the body
ahead of the trap inlet to prevent prime loss. and cover for condensate corrosion.
6. When draining equipment controlled by modulating c.) Inspect the valve head and seat for dam-
valves with vacuum breakers, and whenever greater age and/or signs of wear or wiredrawing,
air venting capability is desired, an auxiliary thermo- and replace is required. To remove the seat,
static air vent should be fitted in parallel above the detach the bucket arm by removing the pin and
trap. unscrew the seat.
7. Any bypass piping should have reduced capacity and d.) Inspect the vent hole in the bucket and make
be installed above the trap to reduce the chance of sure it is clear and fully open.
prime and steam loss. However, unless continuous e.) Remove the old gasket from the cover and/or
service is necessary, bypass piping should be avoid- body and replace with a new gasket.
ed whenever possible. f.) Reinstall the cover and mechanism to the trap
8. On startup, slowly open inlet valve, then outlet valve, body and tighten the cover bolts. It is recom-
to establish a ‘prime’ or water seal around the inverted mended that the cover bolts be retightened after
bucket inside the body. If trap does not have enough the trap has been operating for a few hours
startup condensate to ‘prime’ itself, shut if off and to account for gasket relaxation and thermal
manually pour water into the body. Problems with expansion.
‘prime’ loss may indicate that the trap is oversized for
the load and it should be changed to a smaller size.

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 Check Valve if Condensate
is to be Elevated
Hookup for Horizontal Inverted Bucket Trap

Air Vent if Required

Bypass

Air Vent if Required

Bypass

Hookup for Vertical

Inverted Bucket Trap

Check Valve
if Condensate
Check Valve Required if
is to be Elevated
Inlet Steam Pressure is
Variable or Superheated

Hookup for SIB

Scale

Bucket Trap Air Vent Head Travel Bimetal

When installing a bucket trap air vent, the following head Strip
travels are required when set at 70°F to 80°F ambient.
The head travels are measured along the centerline of the
head. The head travels are adjusted by bending the bime-
tallic strip.
B12, B22

Model Travel Tolerance

B12, B22 3/64” +0.000” -1/64”
B32 3/64” ± 1/64”
B42, B52 3/32” ± 1/64”

B32, B42, B52

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 1b
B1, B2

1
B2, B22, B3, B32

B4, B42, B5, B52

B12
B22

3
(Optional)

B32
B42
B52

1a

Use high temperature

adhesive/sealant on
air vent seat threads
(Ex. Loctite 272)
2

Torque Values (Ft•lbs)

Cover Bolts Size and Models
11-14 1/2”, 3/4” B1X or B1H Series
35-39 3/4” B2 Series Use pipe joint
compound on
21-24 1” B3 Series screen plug threads
(Optional)
55-59 1-1/4” B4 Series
80-85 2” B5 Series
6
Valve Seats
11-13 1/2” B1X-75, 125, 180, 250
28-31 1/2”, 3/4” B1H Series; 3/4” B2-7
125, 180, 250; 1/2”, 3/4” B1X-15, 30
46-50 3/4” B2-15, 30; 1” B3-75, 125, 180
66-70 250, 1” B3-15, 30
195-205 1-1/4” B4 Series; 2” B5-75, 125,
180, 250
250-260 2” B5-15, 30
Air Vent Seats
Part No. Description
11-14 All Models
1 Cover
Plug
1a Cover Gasket
28-33 1/2”, 3/4” B1HS Series
1b Cover Cap Screws
28-33 3/4” B2S Series
2 Body
53-58 1” B3S Series
3 Air vent
60-66 1-1/4” B4S Series
4 Complete Mechanism
68-75 2” B5S Series
5 Stn. Stl. Bucket
Note: Traps with optional strainers use the same cover bolts 6 Stn. St. Strainer
and seat torque requirements

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 Spirax Sarco Applications Engineering Department
Toll Free at:
1-800-883-4411

SPIRAX SARCO, INC. • 1150 NORTHPOINT BLVD. • BLYTHEWOOD, SC 29016

PHONE 803-714-2000 • FAX 803-714-2200